Free North Dakota Rental Application Form
Prepare a printable North Dakota rental application form to help you vet prospective tenants for your property. Customize your screening document with easy instructions and professional templates.
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Last Update November 20th, 2023
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What Is a North Dakota Residential Rental Application
A North Dakota rental application is a legal document used by landlords and property managers to assess and choose an appropriate tenant for a rental property. They are sometimes known by other common names, such as:
Tenant applications
Rental lease applications
Lease applications
Applications for a rental property
Having a rental application can prove highly important to make sure you get the right tenant into your property. The process of screening prospective residents in this way allows you to discover any issues such as their inability to pay rent or the likelihood to cause a nuisance before signing a contract.
North Dakota Rental Applications by Type
There are two main types of rental applications in North Dakota. You must select the most relevant one depending on the type of property being rented, local laws, and the type of leasing agreement that will be used.
Standard/General North Dakota Rental Application
The most common type of vetting document used by ND landlords is the North DakotaStandard Rental Application. This form can be customized according to the specific necessities of the property owner or manager.
Department of Housing And Urban Development (HUD) Rental Application
Landlords of low-income tenants or those offering Section 8 Housing should use a HUD rental application. It is specifically designed to only include information that is allowed under subsidized housing rules.
What to Include in a North Dakota Rental Application Form
It is important to request the right data from a tenant when asking them to fill in an ND rental application and to make sure they are properly informed about the contract. This will be essential to make sure you get the right tenant into your property.
Almost all application forms for rental properties request some or all of the following information:
Personal data
Rental history
Employment details
Income information
Credit history
Personal references
Permission for background checks
Additionally, landlords must provide vital disclosures to ensure that potential residents can safely use the property. They must provide details about:
The property’s condition
Potential hazards to the tenant
Shared utility arrangements
Rent control rules
Smoking policy
The security deposit
Associated fees
North Dakota Rental Application Laws
North Dakota has many rules and statutes regulating its housing market. These must be fully considered when preparing an application for rental properties in the state.
Application Fee
You can charge as much as you wish as a rental application fee. There are no laws in North Dakota providing a set limit, although it is recommended to only charge enough to cover the costs of any background checks. Any amount charged to the tenant is also non-refundable.
Security Deposit
Landlords cannot charge more than 1 months’ rent if they are leasing an apartment under North Dakota law. However, landlords can charge up to 2 months’ rent or $2,500 (whichever is less) if the applicant has pets (§ 47-16-07.1).
Housing Discrimination Law
In North Dakota, there is no specific state law relating to housing discrimination. However, the Fair Housing Act (FHA) is in place. The FHA states that it is illegal to discriminate based on the following characteristics:
Race
Nationality
Religion
Sex
Familial status
Disability
Criminal history
As a consequence, you are not allowed to ask for any of these details on an ND Rental Application form, nor to include them in the decision-making process. However, in North Dakota, certain exemptions from fair housing laws exist. These are as follows:
Sex/sexual orientation: laws relating to discrimination against sex or sexual orientation do not apply to single-family residences where the owner is an occupant and will share a common area with the tenants.
Housing for older persons: it is allowed to ask for an applicant’s age for age-restricted communities (such as senior housing).
Familial status: landlords may ask whether children will occupy the premises for two-family owner-occupied buildings.
Private clubs: clubs that do not operate publicly and do not rent for commercial purposes can give preference to certain applicants.
Religious organizations: religion can be used as a basis for giving priority to certain applicants for properties that are owned or managed by a religious organization that does not rent with commercial intent.
Mrs. Murphy exemption: dwellings with four units or fewer, in which one unit is occupied by the owner, and where the landlord is not represented by a real estate agent, are exempt from fair housing requirements.
Notice of Eligibility
You must disclose the screening criteria used during the application process, as well as anything that could lead to a refusal. To make sure individuals understand this in advance of the application, they must provide a signature of acknowledgment on the application.
Consent Credit Check
The Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) stipulates that potential tenants must agree to any credit checks you require. To show they consent, they must provide written acknowledgment on the application form.
North Dakota Rental Application Sample
Looking over a readily prepared template of a rental application can make it much easier to create your own. Review our document sample below to get more familiar with what your application form will look like when it’s completed.

Other Real Estate Documents
There are various other legal documents that landlords must take into account when considering new tenants. Get expert guidance on preparing other personalized property forms with our other free printable templates for the following legal forms:
Residential Lease Agreement
A North Dakota Residential Lease Agreement outlines the terms and conditions of a tenancy in a residential rental property. It establishes the rights and duties of both the renter and the landlord.
Eviction Notice
When a tenant is in violation of their lease agreement, an ND Eviction Notice must be used to inform them of the breach.
FAQs About North Dakota Rental Application Form
Understanding what your North Dakota rental application can and cannot do is vital before you create your own from scratch. Find out more about how these screening documents work and what you need to know when writing them.
What Are Credit References on a North Dakota Rental Application?
A credit reference is a document that provides information on the credit history of an applicant for a rental property. This may be requested on North Dakota rental applications so that landlords can properly assess whether a potential tenant will be able to meet the rental payment schedule.
What Cannot Be Asked on Rental Applications in North Dakota?
You cannot ask tenants a number of questions when you are vetting them with an ND rental application document. You must not request any information from the applicant regarding their race or ethnicity, religion, sexuality, immigration or citizenship status, arrest records, marital or familial status, and whether they have children or not.
Do I Need to Ask for a Social Security Number in a North Dakota Rental Application?
It is not usually necessary to request a Social Security number (SSN) on a North Dakota rental application. However, you may consider requesting this data from an applicant if you want to run certain background checks on them.
Additionally, you must always get written permission from the tenant on the application form if you want to use their SSN. When you handle someone else’s Social Security information you always need consent first and must disclose that you will properly handle this data.
These days, most screening companies can obtain the applicant ’s SSN directly by requesting it securely from the applicant via email. Remember, however, that you must always inform the potential tenant and have their permission before you run any background checks.

You are only a few steps away from your own North Dakota Rental Application!